Kurai Koujaku
Kurai Koujaku (暗い冠者, Dark Sparrow) is the Fourth Seated Officer in the Ninth Division under Ginchiyo Tachibana, although Kurai can typically be found following direct orders from Co-Lieutenant Satonaka, as she uses him for more "hands on" missions. Despite the favoritism from the beautiful lieutenant, instead of being hated by his peers as one would suggest, Kurai is actually quite popular amongst the Shinigami of the Ninth Division, bearing an almost brotherly relationship with most of them. Kurai is the younger brother of the infamous "Crimson Executioner Souji Koujaku, a criminal known throughout Soul Society for beheading several Shinigami along with his friend Kazuma Minami during a three-month long rebellion and then placing the heads on stakes in front of the Sereitei's four gates. Being the younger brother of such a criminal causes those not acquainted with Kurai to walk on eggshells when they are around him, much to his dismay. After his elder brother vanished from Soul Society, Kurai has not tried to make contact with him nor has he tried to find him, but instead has set out to make a name for himself. Appearance Personality ]]Kurai is a very soft spoken man, but can sometimes come across as demanding and unfeeling. Looking up to his older brother since he was a small child, Kurai has always viewed Souji as being on a pedastal, holding him in high regards. Since the betrayal of his elder brother, Kurai has lost faith in the idea camaraderie and solemnly believes that he is the only one who can perform any task successfully. Despite being loved by the members of the Ninth Division, Kurai does not mind having to sacrifice a number of Shinigami, in order to accomplish any of his goals. When in battle, Kurai does not try only to defeat and humiliate his opponent, but he will try to completely ruin his foes, not only physically, but by trying to destroy their dreams and beliefs in order to utterly destroy their psyche. He is a cold person and thinks very practical but at the same time analytical. These traits are masked by his portrayal of a model shinigami when he is front of others or in the walls of the Sereitei where Kurai acts very timid to the point where he has become viewed as the resident weakling by the more 'macho' shinigami around him. History Synopsis Powers and Abilities High Spiritual Energy: Kurai's spiritual energy is colored light blue, giving him and almost angelic apparance when he begins to exude it from his body. During his short tenure as a seated officer, Kurai has demonstrated the ability to conceal himself using his spiritual energy as a cloak. He can easily conceal her spiritual energy to the point that even High-Level Shinigami are not able to sense his presence Expert Martial Artist: : Taekwondo User: Making the most of his long legs, Kurai has begun taking up Taekwondo. He utilizes swift kicks with razor-like motions that allow him to quickly throw an opponent off balance. Because such a style isn't often used in actual combat, Kurai has noted that his fighting style isn't easily countered as he has already gotten around the handicap of having his leg caught. Expert Swordsmanship Specialist: :Dual Sword Expert: Because of the form of his zanpakuto in its sealed state and its released form, Kurai has trained extensively in the art of weilding two blades in combat. He typically uses one for blocking while he attacks with the other, but has been known to switch to a completely offensive style where he switches the cadence in his steps in order to confuse the opponent and strike aggresively while they are trying to figure out their next counter to his attack. Kurai's skill with two blades has earned him recognition from his lieutenants and has even led to him teaching rookie Shinigami who weild twin blades as well. Flash Step User: Zanpakuto Muhyō (霧氷, Hoarfrost) is the name of Kurai's zanpakuto. In its sealed state it takes the form of twin Kodachi. When in their sheath, they appear to be part of a single sheathed sword, one blade appearing to be the hilt, while the second blade is stationed opposite the first and blends in with the sheathe itself, giving it the impression of being a nodachi. : To release his zanpakuto, Kurai draws one or both of his Kodachi and speaks the command "Liberate" to which his blades resonate and then in a large eruption of spiritual energy transform the Kodachi into twin Katana having a starburst crossguard design as well as the hilts being adorned with blue diamonds. : Shikai Special Ability: Kurai once revealed his powers by stating, "I never said that I controlled Ice." to an opponent, before proceeding to burn them with a blue flame. While utilizing many ice-related abilities, Muhyō is not an ice-type Zanpakuto, but rather a Heat-type, allowing Kurai the ability to manipulate temperatures. He explained said that there is no such thing as cold and it does not exist, only the absence of heat, allowing for the creation of frost and ice as well as the blue flames that are made for absorbing heat from a target. By manipulating the temperature, Kurai is able to create ice around himself using water vapors and other liquids or burn others by raising the temperature of the surrounding environment. Kurai is also able to freeze his veins when wounded to block bleeding and is able to create mirrors in order to disorient opponents and cast illusions. Kurai is also capable of manipulating the temperature around himself in such a way that he creates a gust of wind which he can ride on, allowing flight to become possible. :: Cryokinesis: Due to his Zanpakuto's ability, Kurai has the ability to create and control ice by using his flames to first remove heat from an object, then utilizing the now formed ice from the affected object in order to attack. He does this by superfreezing the water molecules in the air and then mixing it with the particles of frost on any object struck by his flames before manipulating it into various shapes. The ice created by Muhyō is incredibly dangerous as it is able to erode the life away from anything that comes into contact with it. : :: Netsugi (熱棺, Thermal Coffin): This technique starts by producing of wave of blue fire that removes all of the heat in a given area, lowering the temperature to below zero, reaching a point where any non-spiritual living organisms began to die. Once Kurai and his opponent are trapped in this prison of cold, he is able to subject them to an attack where he freezes the cells in the body by striking the target with his blades now infused with the cold energy. In this zone, Kurai can also unleash his ultimate Shikai technique. :::Netsugi: Yukiotoko (熱棺雪男 , Thermal Coffin: Yeti): This technique summons an apparition made up from the blue flames of his zanpakuto ability. On this apparition is an appendage on the chin reminiscent of a Pharaoh's false beard and a pair of spiral-shaped earrings. When this technique is being used, the area begins to snow as the temperature continues to plummet. Upon inspection one would be able to see that he apparition weilds an elongated broadsword in its left hand and possesses a massive right hand, covered by what seems to be a large glove. Once the Yukiotoko's large hand comes into contact with the opponent, the heat from their body will rapidly be depleted until they manage to break free from its incredible grip. Anything struck by Yukiotoko's blade will have the heat drained from it and stored inside of the giant apparition's body. Kurai can then order his creation to use by firing a stream of flames made up of all the collected heat sources from the large hand. This technique is incredibly powerful, capable of incinerating almost anything caught in its path. :: Reitōchō Seijin (聖人の冷凍蝶, Frozen Butterflies of the Saints): Kurai's signature technique. He crosses his blades and forms a blue butterfly made from the flames of his zanpakuto at its intersection. This butterfly has a "ghostly" quality to it and begins to removes the heat from all that it touches. It is able to lay waste to entire forests in one fell swoop. Once shattered, the butterfly can split into innumerable smaller versions, which each hold a fraction of the original's power. Once in close proximity to the opponent, these butterflies converge on their target robbing them of their heat, freezing the parts of the opponent's which are struck. Bankai: Not Yet Acheived Category:Male Category:Characters Category:Character Category:Shinigami Category:Original Characters Category:Original Character Category:Soul Society Resident Category:Bleach: The Dark Charter Category:Ninth Division Category:9th Division Category:4th Seat Category:Seated Officer Category:Males Category:Anti-Hero Category:Protagonists Category:Supporting Character